Crist and Scott tied in Florida governor's race: poll

By Bill Cotterell TALLAHASSEE (Reuters) - Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott and Democratic challenger Charlie Crist remain statistically tied in their bitterly fought campaign, according to a poll released on Monday, the eve of Election Day. Crist, a former Republican governor who switched parties, had 42 percent support in the Quinnipiac University Poll, while Scott polled 41 percent. Libertarian Adrian Wyllie remained at 7 percent, with 9 percent still undecided. "After an incredibly expensive, extremely nasty campaign, the Florida governor's race is too close to call," Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac Poll, said in releasing the survey. "The winner will be the candidate best able to get his voters to the polls - turnout, turnout, turnout." A Quinnipiac poll last Thursday had Crist ahead 43-40, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. Both men spent their final day on the road, rallying supporters to vote early, by mail or on Tuesday. Their campaigns and their parties kept up a furious barrage of mostly negative attack advertising. The poll showed that Floridians really did not like either candidate much. Favorability ratings in the Quinnipiac Poll were a negative 43-50 percent for Crist and a negative 42-49 percent for Scott. The poll was conducted among 817 likely voters from last Tuesday through Sunday. It has an error margin of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. (Editing by David Adams and Lisa Von Ahn)